Special Units

New Partnership Seeks to Help Sexually Exploited Children

September 2, 2004

In an effort to stop the exploitation of children as a result of human trafficking, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is partnering with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to educate law enforcement officers, social service providers, and healthcare professionals about the problem and how to help the victims.

According to the U.S. Department of State, more than half of human trafficking victims worldwide are children. The new partnership is the latest development in HHS’s Rescue and Restore Victims of Human Trafficking national public awareness campaign.

Child victims of human trafficking are exploited sexually through prostitution, pornography, and the sex tourism industry. Child victims are also often used as migrant farm labor or in sweatshops.

Many children are lured into these situations with promises of a better life in the United States, expecting to be reunited with family, to work in a legitimate job, or to attend school. Once they become entrenched in an abusive environment, they suffer physical and mental abuse that can make escape and recovery from the lifestyle difficult.

Educational materials, including brochures, posters, and fact sheets will soon be available.

For more information on human trafficking visit www.acf.hhs.gov/trafficking.

Special Units

The K-9 with the DeKalb County (GA) Police Department shot during a gunfight at a traffic stop was released from a veterinary hospital on Saturday. Indi lost an eye during the confrontation, but is expected to otherwise recover.

The shooting prompted a five-hour-long standoff with Trevino, who was barricaded inside the home. The standoff ended at 6:15 p.m. when police found Trevino dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the house.

Officers learned that the shooting suspect, a 56-year-old woman, inside the home and refused to surrender to police custody. After several hours of negotiating, police sent in K-9 Gabo. The woman reportedly opened fire on the dog and hit him.

Authorities reported Friday that the Ventura County Sheriff’s sergeant killed during the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar & Grill in October was struck by "friendly fire" during the firefight with the gunman.

The DEA confirms the task force officer was reported missing some time after the completion of an overnight law enforcement operation. Following a search, the officer was located and transported to a nearby hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.